Oceana supports penalties for Member States that exceeded 2013 fishing quotas

Ten Member States will be penalized with a deduction of 21286 tonnes in their quota.

Press Release Date: August 11, 2014

Location: Madrid

Contact:

Marta Madina | email: mmadina@oceana.org | tel.: Marta Madina

Today, the European Commission announced deductions from 2014 fishing quotas to a group of ten Member States that have exceeded their quotas for 2013. Oceana supports these deductions in order to reverse the damage done to overfished stocks, and denounces the lack of sound control measures by EU Member States.

Xavier Pastor, Executive Director for Oceana in Europe has stated: “At least 49 stocks of 29 species have been overfished during 2013. Unfortunately we are not talking about a single event, but rather a widespread behavior, that in many cases is carried out by the same Member States and affects the same stocks year after year”.  Pastor has concluded: “What is the use of setting catch limits if there is no real will to control them? Clearly this is not the way to phase out overfishing in European waters, a greater commitment by the Member States is necessary.”

Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and United Kingdom will all be penalized for exceeding their fishing quotas last year. Quota overshoot affects 49 stocks, and deductions, which total 21286 tonnes, will apply to the same stocks as the present year. In cases where no available quota is left, the deduction will apply to a similar species.